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Eating out is one of the most-favoured hobbies of Jeddawis and thankfully, we’ve always been spoilt for choice. The wonderful diversity among the residents of Jeddah is expressed in its food culture too.

It is quite common to see new restaurants and cafés opening up all the time, and Jeddah Blog’s very own foodie Abdullah Yahya never misses a chance to try out the latest offering. In his latest review exclusively for Jeddah Blog, Abdullah tries out Naan Restaurant, located behind Souk Shatee.

One of my new favourite restaurants in Jeddah is the elegant Naan in Al-Zahra district. It is roomy and it’s chic, with great service and even better food. The one downside is that they have a ‘no children under 5’ policy but to be fair, I have taken my toddler along twice and they let us in with a polite warning that if she starts crying I should take her to a room to calm her down, and luckily my girl behaved both times.

So why do I like it so much? The reason is quite simply that its menu is very extensive and can meet all tastes. Although their food is not hugely different from what you’d find in many other Indians restaurants, it just tastes better. Proof of that is that I thoroughly enjoyed the Chicken Biryani even though I am not much of a rice person.

First up, appetizers. We opted for the vegetable samosa which was quite good. The serving consisted of four pieces accompanied by a tangy tamarind dip, but I say skip the dip for the samosa itself is very crispy from the outside and juicy and colourful on the inside.

Crispy and moreish samosas.

The Murg Tikka comes in this showy presentation hanging vertically on skewers. But it’s not all show, it actually tastes amazing. Very juicy and flavourful – it tingles your tastebuds and leaves you wanting more!

The juicy Murg Tikka packed with flavour.

As for the curries, I have tried several during my visits. The one I tried last was the Bombay Beef Curry, which I liked quite a bit. My only gripe was that the quantity of beef in the dish wasn’t as generous as the amount of gravy.

For dessert, we are predictable and play safe as we always opt for the Gulab Jamun. This never fails and is consistently good, albeit the serving is too tiny for its price.

Gulab Jamun, always a safe bet.

When it comes to refreshments, I’ve tried their Mango Lassi before which is decent. This time I opted for their Gagajeer mocktail, which has among other things a weird mix of ginger, arugula, avocado, and honey. I was happy to give it a go, but it’s too weird even for me.

Are you adventurous enough for the Gagajeer Mocktail?

Price-wise, Naan is not the cheapest of Indian restaurants (not the priciest either), but it’s classy, clean, and serves great food. It definitely should be on your radar if you value some spice in your food.